Beverage fountain syrups are concentrated forms of beverages which can be diluted with water or carbonated water to form a single strength, ready-to-serve beverage. Beverage fountain syrups are typically utilized by fast food and restaurant retail establishments. The public is most familiar with the carbonated cola beverages that are dispensed via "soda" fountains.
Currently health consciousness or awareness by the public has increased the demand for the availability of fruit and botanical juice beverages. Particularly, parents prefer juice beverages over carbonated cola beverages for their children.
Juice beverages, such as the dilute juice beverage SUNNY DELIGHT.TM., heretofore have not been readily available in fast food and restaurant retail establishments except in bottled or canned ready to drink forms. There is a need for juice beverages and particularly dilute juice beverages to be supplied in a beverage fountain syrup form which can be readily utilized in fountain machines.
Generally, single strength dilute juice beverages comprise a dispersed oil phase (sometimes referred to as an oil cloud). In single strength beverages which comprise an oil phase, thickener combinations, such as the combination of carboxymethylcellulose and xanthan gum, have been used to stabilize the oil phase, i.e., to keep the oil form separating. PCT Application No. 9308704, Bunger et al., published May 13, 1993, discloses a beverage thickener system comprising propylene glycol alginate, xanthan gum and guar gum. The thickener system provides for stable oil-in-water emulsions in beverages.
It has been discovered that in fountain syrups of dilute juice beverages having from 0.29% to about, high Brix value (generally from about 30.degree. to about 70.degree. ), and no thickener, oil will separate from the syrup and rise to the top within a few days. Fountain syrups of dilute juice beverages having only carboxymethylcellulose or guar gum as the thickener show poor stability and separation of the oil phase occurs generally within about 35 days. Surprisingly, thickener systems that have been used for single strength beverages, and particularly dilute juice beverages, such as carboxymethyl cellulose/xanthan gum or propylene glycol alginate/guar gum/xanthan gum have also shown poor stability such that separation of the oil begins visible separation generally within from about 24 to about 70 days at 70.degree. F. (21.degree. C.). In addition to providing poor stability of the oil phases, these conventional thickener systems can cause significant increases in the viscosities of the beverage fountain syrups which can hinder the ability of the fountain syrups to be pumped through a typical fountain machine resulting in a viscosity of greater than about 250 centipoise at 51 sec.sup.-1 shear rate.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a method for stabilizing the oil phase of beverage fountain syrups, particularly dilute juice beverage fountain syrups, having a high Brix value.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for beverage fountain syrups, particularly dilute juice beverage fountain syrups, which exhibit stability of the oil phase, i.e. no visible separation of the oil phase, for at least about 90 days, preferably at least about 120 days and most preferably equal to or greater than about 140 days at about 21.degree. C. Further, it is an object that the beverage fountain syrups, particularly dilute juice beverage fountain syrups, have good pumpability.